Skip to main content

'HERE WE ARE TO COMFORT YOU ..." (GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY) VIOLETS ~ FEBRUARY FLOWER OF THE MONTH)

"Look at us, said the violets blooming at her feet, all last winter we slept in the seeming death but at the right time God awakened us, and here we are to comfort you."

~ Edward Payson Rod

DOWNY YELLOW VIOLET
(Viola pubescens)

____________

THE VIOLET

Down in a green and shady bed,
A modest violet grew;
Its stalk was bent, it hung its head
As if to hide from view.

And yet it was a lovely flower,
Its colour bright and fair;
It might have graced a rosy bower,
Instead of hiding there.

Yet thus it was content to bloom,
In modest tints arrayed;
And there diffused a sweet perfume,
Within the silent shade.

Then let me to the valley go
This pretty flower to see;
That I may also learn to grow
In sweet humility.





WHITE VIOLET
(Viola striata)

COMMON BLUE VIOLET
(Viola sororia)


"The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks."

~ Tennessee Williams

______________________________


for Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

Comments

Pat said…
Oh, I just got some Violets.
I have a long bad family history with...we'll see.
donna said…
I know of a patch of white violets that are asleep right now under the snow. Can't wait to see them come spring. Thanks for reminding me of them on this cold, snowy day.

I always enjoyed Garden Bloggers' Muse Day. Not sure why I stopped participating.

donna
Anonymous said…
Dearest Joey, Violas are such pretty flowers and their fragile looks belie their hidden strength I always feel. In the iciest blasts one may give them up for dead only to find that at the first hint of warmth they spring back up again, always with a happy face!
Shady Gardener said…
Joey, Your photos are each like a beautiful painting. Those violets... sleeping babies. Have you just received another blast of Winter Weather? (We're getting snow and ice.) Stay warm and safe! Blessings!
joey said…
I hear you, Patsi. I too have a love/hate relationship with violets. I love sweet bouquets, tossing them in salads, and candied. However, they are much too happy here and I spend many gardening hours chasing them away.

Hi Donna. I often forget too but needed something cheery after all my past snow posts :)

Indeed happy spring faces, dearest Edith, but as sweet as they are, they are also pests! Not so much the yellow and white as the common purple. In the lawn, they are weeds!
joey said…
You are always so kind, dear Shady. Thank you creative friend. Oh yes, a winter blast ... blizzard conditions ... 10-15 inches of snow starting sometime tonight! You too stay warm and safe. Warm winter ((hugs)).
Joey, Love your layered images! Wishing I had a pretty flower to play with here, but nothing but mounds of snow to photograph. Missing my garden and can't wait for a warm up!
Lovely sentiments on this first day of February, Joey. Your photos are just gorgeous. Thanks for posting for GBMD.
Nana Mari said…
Hello Joey...just stumbled upon your blog! How lovely it is! Your photo's are beautiful, and a true inspiration and confirmation, as I look out my window at the falling snow, that spring will indeed come, and the violets will indeed bloom. Thanks! Mari
I love all these images Joey especially those tumbling violets. The art effects are wonderful and this is a fantastic museday post
Laura
A lovely selection of violet prose Joey, and beautiful images too. Blooms in any form are comforting in mid-winter.
joey said…
Welcome Sall and thank you. Please know you are not alone. I am surrounded by layers of snow with a HUGE storm on its way tonight/tomorrow. Believe me, this is a photo from warmer days ...

Delighted to join you, dear Carolyn, and thank you kindly. Stay snuggly warm.

Welcome Mari and thank you. Lovely thoughts for a snowy say.

Thank you, Laura. How kind. Those sweet violets are squeezing through the cracks in my old stone patio. After they finished blooming, I probably ripped them out :)

Thanks Clare. Fun to process something other than snow photos. Just what I needed considering the Whopper on the Way!
debsgarden said…
Wonderful post! Violets have always been close to my heart. I will remember the phrase "we are here to comfort you'" when I see them this spring.
joey said…
Thank you, Deb. And as sure as spring will arrive, so will the sweet violets ...
Carol said…
Brava! Brava! Joey . . . your selections of poems are lovely and your photographs are stunning!! I love your first one and the cascading one especially. Beautiful!
These are such a pretty collection of images. I love the snow scene in the previous post too.
joey said…
Thanks Carol ... you are a dear. Happy February :)

Hi Jennifer and thank you. That was at the lake but we have an abundance of snow here too!
Cat said…
Dear Joey, a beautiful post and timely as my violets which were so happy just a day ago look completely frozen and lost...I'm hoping they will spring back to life once this cold air passes.
Kala said…
Beautiful processing - these images are truly works of art!
Chloe m said…
Violets remind me of my childhood. Searching for them in the dense forest of my neighbors yard, picking tiny little bouquets for my mom.
Beautiful photo editing!
joey said…
Thank you, Cat. Wow, violets already ... lucky you! Mine are still sleeping in a frozen bed under a heavy blanket of snow.

Hello, Kala, and thank you fun photo sharing friend.

Thanks, Rosey. You wouldn't have to search for violets in my garden/yard ... they are very plentiful in spring. Come help yourself and pick 'til your heart is content :)
fer said…
Very beautiful images! love the second to last
joey said…
Thank you, fer. That is the common violet in my garden/yard. Wish I had a penny for every one of these lovely faces that blooms ... I would be rich :)
Rose said…
Wouldn't it be lovely to see some violets blooming outside right now? Hope you are staying safe and warm, Joey.
Gatsbys Gardens said…
Joey,

I toiled for many years in my old old house to clear out the common invasive violets so I could plant some other things. Now, I go out and buy violets each year for my spring garden. They are beautiful!

Eileen
Johnny Nutcase said…
ohh! those are pretty!
joey said…
Indeed it would, Rose, but snoring under this deep blanket of snow.

Wish you lived near, Eileen. I'd only be too happy to share :)

Thanks, Jill :)

Popular posts from this blog

AUTUMN DINNER ~ ROASTED SAGE SPAGHETTI SQUASH With GUYERE, SAUTÉED FRESH GARLIC, PARSLEY and TOASTED PINE NUTS

“Welcome sweet November, the season of senses and my favorite month of all.”  ―  Gregory F. Lenz November  Sunset (Hubbard Lake, MI) ROASTED SAGE SPAGHETTI SQUASH With GUYERE, SAUTÉED FRESH GARLIC, PARSLEY and TOASTED PINE NUTS ~  Delightful autumn dinner slightly adapted from pinch of yum .  1 halved and seeded spaghetti squash Extra-virgin olive oil coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste 2-3  minced cloves garlic 2  tsp. white balsamic vinegar 1  cup minced fresh parsley 2  Tbsp. chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp. dried 1  cup grated Gruyere cheese 1/2 - 3/4  cup toasted pine nuts Preheat oven to 375º. Rub squash with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. Place cut side down on sprayed rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender. Let cool until able to handle and scrape inside with a fork and pull strands away from ski...

SUMMERTIME ... AND THE LIVIN' IS EASY ~ SPICY PULLED PORK & COLE SLAW / BLUEBERRY CHEESECAKE

"A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." ~James Dent LILIUM / LILIUM / STOKESIA ( BLUE DANUBE) DAYLILY /FROG STUPOR/ ASTILBE DAISY/ MONARDA / DAYLILY _____________________ SPICY PULLED PORK ~ A must-have for simple summer suppers adapted from a Detroit Free Press clipping __________ 4-5 lbs. pork shoulder blade Boston roast or trimmed pork tenderloins 12 sandwich rolls or good hamburger buns Rub: 1/4 cup brown sugar 3 Tbsp. favorite chili powder 2 tsp. cumin 1 tsp. Hungarian Paprika 1/2 tsp. coarse salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 2 tsp. garlic powder 2 tsp. onion powder Sauce: 3 cup (or more as needed) favorite barbecue sauce 1/2 cup brown or yellow mustard 3 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce (or to taste) juice of 1 lemon Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Trim most of fat from roast, remove bone and separate into 2 pieces (pork tenderloins work well and less work). Combine rub ingredients in small...

FIRE TO WARM THE SOUL & BODY ~ SOUPE A L'OIGNON GRATINEE (FRENCH ONION SOUP)

" The sun broke like an egg into a full sunset and the water caught fire." ~ Pamela Johnson January sunset (Hubbard Lake) __________________ SOUPE A L'OIGNON GRATINEE (adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking ) “Onion soup sustains. The process of making it is somewhat like the process of learning love. It requires commitment, extraordinary effort, time, and will make you cry." ~ Ronni Lundy _________________________________________ (FRENCH ONION SOUP) 6 pounds thinly sliced yellow onions 6 Tbsp. butter 3 Tbsp. oil 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. sugar 6 heaping Tbsp. flour 5 quarts good beef stock 2 cups dry white wine coarse salt and cracked pepper few drops of Kitchen Bouquet 12 Tbsp. Cognac 1 pound Swiss cheese* 1 - 1 1/2 pound assorted shredded cheddar, Colby and Swiss or Parmesan Cook onions slowly in butter and oil in covered stockpot for 15 minutes. Uncover, raise heat to moderate , and stir in salt and sugar. Cook for 30-40 minutes stirring frequently until on...